Eagles Hit Five Home Runs in Midweek Win Over Maine
Home run GIFs, notes, and an update on Elo Ratings and the Top 25 polls.
After a dramatic win over Auburn on Sunday afternoon, No. 13/17 Boston College—fresh off of earning its highest ranking in program history—pulled away late in a back-and-forth matchup with Maine. The Eagles clubbed five home runs, two apiece from Cody Morissette and Cameron Leary, and scored five unanswered runs in the last two innings to beat the Black Bears, 10-5.
Instead of a usual game recap, I’ve decided to rank all five home runs from the game (by win probability added). BC has been on an impressive power surge this year, already racking up 18 in 11 games with three games of four or more. Head coach Mike Gambino said before the season that this lineup had more power across the board than any he’d had before, and that rings especially true when you look at the power totals over the last few years: 33 (2019), 14 (2018), 15 (2017), and 20 (2016). The Eagles have already passed two of those totals and are on pace to crack the last full season’s mark by midseason.
5) Cody Morissette (#2)
Inning: Eighth
Runners on: 1
Result: Eagles lead, 10-5
Win Probability Added (WPA): +0.009
Morissette, who was hit in the head with a pitch in the fifth inning and went into concussion protocol, returned to the field to the next inning thankfully unharmed. A lot of radio commentary during the Auburn series was about Morissette’s slow start to the year, but his underlying numbers (i.e. high walks, good contact) suggested that was bound to change. Despite going 0-for-5 on Sunday, Morissette now has nine hits in his last five games and is second on the team in on-base percentage (.417). This home run was absolutely crushed over the scoreboard in right field, even farther than his first one, but it was simply insurance at this point. He admired this one, too, standing at home plate for a second before rounding the bases.
4) Cameron Leary (#2)
Inning: Seventh
Runners on: 0
Result: Eagles lead, 8-5
WPA: +0.055
Unlike Leary’s first home run (see: No. 2), this one was an absolute moonshot. The right fielder briefly jogs toward the wall, but everyone knew it was gone off the bat. Not only was it an impressive homer, but it came back-to-back with Gold (see: No. 1) to crush any hopes of a Maine comeback. The freshman, who made his second start in the lineup against the Black Bears, already has three extra base hits and five RBIs. You can expect to see more of him this season as there’s a lot of pop in his bat.
3) Cody Morissette (#1)
Inning: First
Runners on: 0
Result: Game tied, 1-1
WPA: +0.132
After falling behind in the first on a Maine inside-the-park home run that saw BC’s Dante Baldelli exit due to injury after hitting the fence in right, Morissette gave the Eagles a spark in the home half. He got a little under this one but still drove it to the light-tower in right-center for his first of two home runs on the game.
2) Cameron Leary (#1)
Inning: Sixth
Runners on: 0
Result: Game tied, 4-4
WPA: +0.196
There’s two things I want you to notice when you watch this one. First, look at the pitcher as soon as the ball is hit—he’s pointing straight up because he thinks it’s just a routine flyout. That never ends well when the ball just carries and carries. Second, look how confused the left fielder is when he throws his hands up after he gets to the wall and the ball has dropped on the other side. It was a wind-aided home run, but nonetheless an important game-tying one in the sixth inning.
1) Luke Gold
Inning: Seventh
Runners on: 1
Result: Eagles lead, 7-5
WPA: +0.298
For the second game in a row, Gold hit a go-ahead home-run. This time it was in the seventh and in front of no fans as opposed to Sunday’s 10th-inning blast in front of a stunned Auburn crowd, but it got the job done. On this occasion, Maine wanted it to go foul but it was just fair down the left field line (it had plenty of height). Fittingly, it was with two outs, and it gave the Eagles a lead in the seventh that they wouldn’t relinquish. Gold has been hitting the cover off the ball lately, as he is 6-for-15 (.400) over his last four games with four home runs and eight RBIs. On the season, the sophomore leads the ACC in RBIs (18), is second on home runs (5), and third in slugging percentage (.886).
Elo Ratings
All stats as of Wednesday, March 9 at 10 p.m. Visit WarrenNolan.com for more info.
Rankings Update
Here’s the latest look at the rankings from D1Baseball.com, Baseball America, and the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association).
Virginia dropped out of the D1 Baseball poll and fell dramatically in the other two after dropping a road series to Florida State. The Cavaliers have lost their first two conference series’ of the year (the other to North Carolina) and have a tough matchup this weekend with Notre Dame, who just cracked one Top 25 list.
UNC has also fallen out of two of the rankings thanks to a series loss to Virginia Tech, who has been one of the fastest-climbing teams in the country. The Hokies also knocked off Miami earlier in the season so they have a pair of ACC conference series wins under their belt.
BC’s next opponent, Louisville, dropped out of the Top 10 in every poll thanks to a midweek setback against Morehead State and a series loss to Georgia Tech.
Featured Image Courtesy of Boston College Athletics